Truce?
by DannyIsMyBoi
Summary: Valerie is invited to the Christmas Truce Party by Phantom, who wants to make amends. (prompt by danphanwritingprompts on Tumblr) One-shot


**AN: Hello! So I haven't uploaded my phicc 'Not What I Want' in a week (I'm sorry), but I did write this inbetween. The prompt was writting by danphanwritingprompts on tumblr and I finished it up (you can find me on tumblr dannyphantomisameme). Also, I now cross-post on AO3 under the same name so** **yeet. This is in the POV of Valerie so I hope you enjoy!**

 **One-shot**

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Soaring through the void filled with numerous purple doors, she wondered why she was even doing this. It wasn't like he was waiting for her, right?

Inviting your enemy to a Christmas party didn't seem like the wisest thing for a ghost to do, but then again, Phantom was different. At least he claimed to be.

Valerie had no idea what to expect. Phantom hadn't told her much yesterday, other than to come to the address. She didn't know why she even considered accepting his invite in the first place. Maybe it was the idea of seeing a ghost's lair up close. Or maybe it was the way he had asked her, nervously rubbing his neck as if he was afraid she would reject him. Begging for her to come with a lopsided smile playfully strung across his face was enough for her to lower her gun. However, Valerie didn't tell him if she could make it or not, but she hadn't said no.

Properling herself through the swirling green sky on her hoverboard, her stomach fluttered with butterflies, yearning to escape the possible encounter ahead.

Phantom did say other ghosts would be there, but he also mentioned that they wouldn't attack. She didn't quite understand why they wouldn't strike, but he hadn't gone into much detail. She didn't have anything better to do anyway; she was alone since her father was working an extra shift tonight.

Valerie didn't understand why Phantom would invite her to a Christmas party of all things. She recalled Phantom being a bit more of a nuisance than usual around the holiday time, although she couldn't quite put her finger on why. Come to think of it, last year he had done some unforgettable things and almost ruined Christmas for the whole town.

Upon reaching the building using a map of the ghost zone programmed into her suit, she noticed the outside matching that of a library. Odd, she thought. She didn't think that the ghost zone would incorporate advanced structures much like that of the human world. Retracting her board back into her suit, she began walking up the stairs, entering the white pillared building. She decided to keep her suit on as she felt more comfortable encompassed in its bullet proof shield.

Inside, dozens of ghosts conversed and danced. The entire hall was decorated with flashing lights and red ribbons with a large Christmas tree in the corner. Candles illuminated the room; their cinnamon scent tickling her nose. She considered turning back, returning to the soft arms of the sofa back home, but she was already here and going back meant another 20 minutes of flying.

Many of the ghosts didn't even bother glancing at her, already preoccupied with the joy of celebrating the holiday. Making her way through the crowd, she searched for the ghost boy who had gotten her into this mess. She strolled further into the abyss of ghosts, recognizing a few of Amity's occasional haunters. She noticed Skulker, the large robotic ghost, mingling with Ember, a teen rockstar with flaming blue hair; although they seemed a bit too close for it to be called mingling. As she noticed them share a peck on the lips, she grimaced and immediately turned her head to search for Phantom. Scratch that. They're a couple.

Valerie finally spotted the lonely black and white figure she was searching for at the back of the party. He leaned over a counter, sipping something from a red cup. Although she knew she was supposed to accompany him, her body hesitated to move and she stood there.

"Hey Red!" Phantom exclaimed over the jingling holiday tunes. Waving with his open hand for her to come over, she followed his gesture reluctantly. Pressing a button on her wrist, the tinted screen protecting her face began to lower into her helmet, exposing her facial features to the atmosphere.

"You made it. I can't believe it." he said taking a sip of his cup.

"Yea. I Did." she muttered crossing her arms.

"Can I get you a drink? Although I'm not quite sure that you can drink this." Phantom asked gesturing with his cup.

"Just cut to the chase Phantom. Why am I here? And why aren't the ghosts fighting?" she swiveled to glare at him, raising an eyebrow all the while.

"Red, I -uh." He paused, looking around nervously. "Come with me." he finally managed to stutter out.

"I don't want to go anywhere, unless you tell me where we're going." Valerie said standing her ground. She wasn't going to follow this ghost unless she was being held against her will. Who knows where he could take her. Where he could hurt her. Maybe this was his revenge.

"Just to another room so I can actually hear you, jeez. Now follow me." he said as he rolled his eyes. Considering her chances and finally giving in, Valerie followed him. They weaved past a group of chuckling specters to a room on the other side. Upon entering, the room looked like an office. A floating circular desk sat in the corner surrounded by shelves of books and papers. The colors left a bland taste in her mouth, dull with white and greys.

Phantom gestured for her to sit in the only chair, but she shook her head, not wanting to take chances. Perhaps the desk chair was a trap where she would meet her demise at the hands of the infamous ghostboy. He sighed loudly, his hands running through his hair anxiously.

"Look. I- I invited you here for a reason." He said as he paced through the room looking at his hands. Talking to himself, he looked so normal. Oddly like a human. Valerie would have thought he was a human if it weren't for the white hair and glowing green eyes. "Th-this is a Christmas truce party. Every year, all the ghosts in this dimension hold a truce. No fighting, no arguing, nothing. And what I'm trying to say is-" he paused to look at her. "Think of this as our truce." his lip lifted as if to smile, but his eyebrows displayed confusion.

Valerie was baffled. H- he wanted amnesty? This- this had to be a trap. He'd ruined her life over a year ago, and now she was trying to exact her revenge. Was he just tired of being shot by her weapons? Tired of being chased for hours? But, ghosts don't feel pain… right?

"And why should I? You ruined my life. I live in hell now because of your antics." she accused pointing her finger at him.

"You never gave me a chance to explain though. It was Cujo, uh the ghost dog. Axion labs had put down a couple of dogs at that time. Cujo was on of them and he was just looking for his chew toy to move on. I tried to help him. He was never my dog." he said in a pleading tone.

"How do I know your telling the truth?" Valerie asked skeptically. He was a ghost after all, and ghosts are inherently malevolent. He could have been lying this entire time.

"You don't have to trust me. But, all I'm saying is that we even the playing field. Just, no more fighting." He said staring at her eyes. His green eyes gleamed under the ceiling light and his aura brightened slightly as if he was looking for a sign of hope.

How could she set a truce with him?! All she ever wanted was to capture the ghost and make him pay for what he'd done. Her father suffered all because this boy couldn't control a dog. His or not, the dog destroyed her future the second it destroyed the lab. She could easily seize Phantom now, but something in her told her that she shouldn't. But that didn't stop her from at least advancing on him.

Grabbing his hazmat suit by the logo, she pulled him forward just enough that their faces were inches away. "Give me a good reason why I shouldn't shoot you right now." she whispered.

"I didn't think it would have to come to this, but… it's time you knew anyways." he said raising his hands as if caught in an illegal act. Suddenly, a bright white flash erupted from his chest. It formed a circle by his waist. Caught off guard, Valerie stumbled back into the wall and let out a yelp, afraid he was executing a new ghostly ability.

The ring of light split into two, one ascending and the other descending his body. The rings revealed a pair of red sneakers, blue jeans, white t-shirt with red accents, and spiky raven locks. Glaring at the crystal blue eyes that stared back at her, Valerie almost screamed. She couldn't believe it.

She was staring at Danny Fenton. Her ex.

He let lose a light chuckle, and bit his lip in uneasiness. He kept averting his gaze from her, as if he didn't want to see her true reaction. How could a human simultaneously be a ghost? Was she dreaming? But the two did have many similarities, how didn't she see them?

"... D- Danny?" she finally stammered out.

"Yea it's me, Val. Before you go all crazy and try to shoot me, I thought you should know by now. Please don't be mad." he managed to say sheepishly. Rubbing his neck, he finally decided to take a look at the African American girl in front of him, although he wish he hadn't.

Balling her right hand into a fist, she swung at him, contacting his stomach and sending him a step back. "Ouch! I said please don't be mad." He groaned while clutching his stomach.

"That's for not telling me sooner, idiot." She said rubbing her wrist. She still couldn't believe it. The boy she had a crush on was also the boy she was hunting down for the past year. How didn't she see the signs? His constant bathroom breaks, the times he came back to class limping, or even the sudden disappearances. All were signs that lead her to this, but she hadn't taken the time to piece them together.

"So… truce?" Danny finally said after a long period of silence.

"Truce... but only if you explain whatever I just saw." She said taking a seat and crossing her legs. She had the whole night to listen, and she wasn't about to leave until he explained every last detail.

Rubbing his neck, he crossed his legs and began hovering to level with her. "Right, well get comfortable. It's gonna be a long night..."


End file.
